You might be a little surprised to see that we’re heading to Iraq at the end of the tour – don’t be – the fair in Iraq last January was very successful. More than 17 universities from the US & UK attended the mini-fair in Baghdad and Irbil, and reported intense interest from the students they saw in both cities. With the Iraq Education Initiative pilot program in full swing this is the perfect time for your university to show its commitment to the program and the students it will be sending!

Beirut, Lebanon - October 11th
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - October 13th
Kuwait City, Kuwait - October 16th
Manama, Bahrain - October 18th
Doha, Qatar - October 20th
Dubai, UAE – October 23rd
Amman, Jordan - October 25th
Baghdad, Iraq (Free*) - October 28th
Erbil, Iraq (Free*) - October 30th

There is a visa requirement for US Citizens to Saudi Arabia, Qatar (this is new!) and Iraq. So we REALLY encourage you to make the decisions on your fall travel as early as possible this year!

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The main issue I saw with the site was that they seem aimed at universities more than the students. It would be much more useful if there was a clear “student section” where they could point out that one application is all that’s needed for any Iraqi student holding the HCED Iraq Education Initiative scholarship. Wow that’s pretty cool.

So until there is an American Universities Iraq Consortium (soon we hope!) here is a list of the Universities who were in Iraq for the inaugural college fair.

Emporia State University
Gannon University
La Roche College
Monterey Institue of International Studies
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Texas A & M
The University of Kansas
The University System of Ohio
Troy University
University of Bridgeport
University of Central Missouri
University of Evansville
University of Iowa
University of Kentucky
University of Oregon
Valparaiso University
Vanderbilt University
Virginia Commonwealth University
West Virginia University
Winthrop University

All comments about the consortium from the HCED so far have said there is no specific criteria for joining the group. Any (accredited) college or university can recruit and admit an Iraqi student – so maybe you should worry less about the consortium until there is more information from AED about it, and just start recruiting!

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Our initial instinct was to quickly respond with a resounding NO! That’s completely incorrect! However, in the interest of backing up our response, we sent an email to the Director of the program, to which he responded:

“This is absolutely not true. We are moving forward and the announcement to the students to submit their application is scheduled for July 15.”

So there you go folks, its time to start seriously thinking about how you’re going to recruit these Iraqi students. We suspect the in-country recruitment fairs are going to be few and far between at first.  Online recruiting will be the best way to reach these “unreachables” .

A Facebook Fan page may sound overly simple, but its a great place to start – along with a localized page in Arabic aimed specifically at the Iraqi students. A very minor marketing investment that can reward your campus with incredible new students that will truly diversify the school.

Hope you’re already a fan of our Facebook page, if not – what are you waiting for?!

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The Director of the Iraq Education Initiative, Dr. Zuhair Humadi, spoke to a packed room at NAFSA 2009 about the bold program initiated by Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki to update and reform the education system in Iraq. The two phased program begins with the scholarship initiative – sending 50,000 students in the next 5 years to US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The second phase involves the overhaul of the entire educational system in Iraq from K-12 and higher education.

The initiative was launched in January of 2009 (read more about the educational fair held in Iraq here) and a pilot program to send 500 students to the United States and United Kingdom by the Fall of 2009 was launched. The government of Iraq has set aside $54 million to ensure the launch of the pilot program on time.

Scholarships are awarded proportional to the population in each of the 18 provinces/governorates allowing students from less advantaged regions of the country the same chance of receiving an award. While student’s grades are the main criteria for selection, the applicant must also be an Iraqi citizen residing in Iraq for 2 years prior to application and agree to return to Iraq to serve the same number of years as that of study.

The students are selected on the formulaic criteria that includes their grades, age, and the governate/province of residence. To ensure students from all over the country will have fair access to the higher education scholarship, the number of scholarships given out are proportional to the population in each province in Iraq.

Basic requirements:
- Iraqi citizen residing in Iraq for 2 years prior to scholarship application
- Excellent record of academic achievement
- Agree to return to Iraq to serve for the same number of years as years of study

2-year Program Scholarship eligibility requirements:
- High school graduate
- Minimum baccalaureate score of 80%

4-year Program Scholarship eligibility requirements:
- High school graduate
- Top 10% of class
- Less than 22 years of age

Masters/ PhD
- Completed undergraduate program
- Top 10% of undergraduate class

ALL fields of study and degrees are covered by this scholarship and will be considered. There is no list of pre-approved majors or schools.

The director discussed the creation of the American University Iraq Consortium, the initial group of 22 universities who sent representatives to Iraq in January 2009 are the core group included in the initial consortium. The consortium is open, however, to all interested accredited US higher education institutions.

The objective of the consortium is to streamline the placement process for Iraqi students, and not to create a “list” of approved Universities. USEG believes that by being included as part of the consortium, schools will learn first about any changes or approvals to the scholarship and will have a strong chance of student placement early in the program.

The Director of the program requested the following from the Universities to help place Iraqi students & accelerating the admissions process for the Iraqi students:
- Provide students who meet admissions requirements but need English language improvement with provisional (conditional) admissions
- Assign an admissions liaison to serve as the only point person for Iraqi student applications
- Assign a campus liaison to advice students on housing options and other details
- Admit students on J-1 visa as to ensure their return to Iraq
- Provide information of accredited degrees
- Preference will go to institutions with ESL/Intensive English programs

While there will be no caps placed on students attending a specific school, the program prefers the students to be spaced out in different parts of the country. Placement of the students will be done by the office in Baghdad, which is currently still training personnel on the international education system. Students are also able to choose and apply to any school on their own, there is no requirement for them to be placed by the commission or program personnel.

Additional information will be made available soon, as will the application for the students. The website for the program is not yet live, but will be soon, you will be able to find the information here:
http://www.hced-iraq.org

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With the new Iraq Education Initiative Scholarship ready to launch, the US Educational Group has spoken to many of you about the importance of recruitment methods outside of the traditional and typical.  We still not have received confirmation from the US Embassy in Baghdad if they will be accepting viewbooks and other marketing materials from US Colleges and Universities however, in our last conversation with the personnel at the Embassy on the student visa situation they did indicate they will not be opening an educational office.

Britian enjoys a long history of educational connectivity with Iraqis – thousands having completed higher education degrees in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s at some of the top UK institutions in previous decades.  A sizable and tightly knit Iraqi diaspora in London and elsewhere in the UK will make the area more appealing for students beginning their applications.

It will be up to US colleges and universities to step up their online recruitment and micro-target Iraqi students interested in studying on the Iraq scholarship. As the report says: “the United States, in particular, has been “ratcheting up activities in Iraq throughout 2008 and 2009,”- basically giving the UK a run for its money and crown as the education destination for Iraqi students.

If you have no localized website yet in Arabic – specifically aiming at recruiting Iraqi students for this scholarship, it may be time to think about the benefits of putting one together, we’re here to help you!

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Quick Facts:

• 10,000 students per year sent to English speaking Universities
• 500 student pilot program to be launched in Fall
• Scholarships will include tuition, fees, and living stipend
• Students may apply for Associates, Bachelors & Masters programs
• Open to all accredited Universities, Colleges, Community Colleges
• Students must score a 450 on the TOEFL test to be eligible for the scholarship

We’ll have an update later on today on the news that came out of the NAFSA session with the Director of the program but for now, it may be a good idea for you to add your school to the US Educational Group database (http://www.al-jamiat.com/college-university-directory/) a free resource for students to be able to search through and find colleges and universities to apply to.
Its very helpful for the student to know whether your institution offers:

• English Language Instruction (ESL or Intensive English Language)
  
• No SAT requirement
  
• “Conditional” admissions

Add your school to the Directory today and call me at 617.923.6024 to find ways to start recruiting these students to your college or university today.

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